Critical Analysis of the Arguments of George Thrabyishi in the Rejection of the Universality of the Prophet's Prophetic Purpose

Universality of Mohammad’s prophecy has been challenged by some of the intellectuals whereas most of Islamic studies scholars acknowledge the scope of Mohammad’s invitation to Islam as universal. Because of the significance of the topic, it seems fruitful to provide an analysis of the evidence and reasons argued by scholars in this context. Based on some Verses from the Quran and historical evidence, Syrian writer Georges Tarabichi (1939-2016) considers the scope of Mohammad's prophecy limited to the Arab Peninsula and its native Arab speaking inhabitants. He argues that following the Islamic Conquests, Muslims altered Mohammad's prophecy from a local alternative of indigenous polytheistic beliefs to a universal message. Tarabichi's main argument lies in his interpretation of those Quranic verses that address the Prophet's preach to be delivered to the Mecca region and amongst its Arabic speaking natives. He attempts to strengthen his theory by putting an emphasis on the obscure perception of the word "Ommi" and other relevant historical evidence. This article aims to critically analyze the aforementioned Tarabichi's theory. In this context, I argue that firstly, Tarabichi's Qur’anic ratiocination lacks a holistic approach and his interpretation of cited verses is not precise and is in contrast with the renowned recitations. Secondly, his Hadith-based argument relies only on a single Hadith without addressing the existing opposite instances. Thirdly, his historical reasoning is not only based on an inaccurate and disputed narrative but also ignores other evidence and narratives in the same context.